Mentally in love (Remington Leith)

Chapter Nineteen

As soon as we arrived at the garden, I was set down by Ty and was safely secure in the grass. I sniffled trying to choke back the tears. I was overwhelmed with so many emotions. My heart rate increased as the realization hit, I had to tell them everything that happened. But maybe I didn't have to say the whole truth.

"Hey darling, look at me," Chris bent his knee to get on my level. I looked in his eyes, mine filling with tears.

"Shh, everything is okay, take your time. Just tell them what you told me," He smiled, pulling me into a hug. His hug was full of tenderness and support.

"She beat me up because I was dating Rem, she hates me, I did nothing wrong...I stole her man.." I whispered the final words.

"She speaks," Tyler smiled, and rubbed my arm for comfort. I flinched back at the pain.

I clutched onto Chris' shirt, my body shaking in fear. I bit my lip, choking back tears.

"It's okay, Doll. It is okay," Chris pulled me closer.

"Who did it?" Emerson stood up. Shy, gripped his arm, trying to pull him down.

"Relax babe," She kissed his hand.

"I don't know, she won't say," Chris explained.

"She said she, we only know two, and one of them has a man," Tyler reasoned.

"But it could be anyone," Shy tried to reason.

"No, she said our friend," Chris reminded himself.

"Was it Billie?" Tyler asked me. My grip tightened. I became fearful of telling the truth. I shook my head no.

"It wasn't her?" Chris asked, his voice held so much disbelief.

"No, I misspoke. It wasn't a friend of ours, I just couldn't see correctly," I spoke, my voice was soft and full of deceit. I felt my sins crawling on my back, almost taunting me. They knew I was a liar. I knew it was Billie, everyone had figured it out, and yet I was covering for her. Why? Because I was afraid that she would beat my ass again.

Maybe I'll tell Daniel, he's supposed to protect me anyways. Maybe I can get him to swear to secrecy. I don't need to burden others or force Billie to be alone. No one deserves to be alone, even the devil's spawn. Everyone deserves a friend, or else they would probably lose their mind. Why do you think people kill others? Because they go insane feeling like they are alone in the world, like they are the only ones suffering. There are probably more reasons, but that is the main one, for sure.

"Are you sure it wasn't her?" Tyler asked, his voice laced with concern and uncertainty.

"Yes, can we leave Billie alone now?" I asked.

"Then who was it?" Emerson asked.

"I don't know, I didn't get a good look at her," I lied.

"But it was for sure a girl?" Chris asked. I nodded my head. My grip never loosening on his clothes.

"You're okay, just take a deep breath, can you do that for me, doll?" Chris whispered in my ear. And as I started to take a deep breath, he followed me. I felt his chest rise and fall with mine. He really was like a big brother. I embraced him closer to me as my panic began to wrap its hand around my throat telling me to stop breathing. Which is exactly what happened. I stopped breathing and instead started hyperventilating. My lungs begged me to stop and to get a hold on myself. My body shaked against Chris' as he ran his fingers through my hair. And loosened his grip so I could get more breaths.

"Hey, what's your favorite animal?" Chris asked.

"A cu-cu-ca-cat" I stuttered out.

"What's your favorite color?" Tyler asked.

"B-bu-blu-black," I stuttered once more. My mind was no longer focused on the problem at hand, but now on these questions. This caused my breathing to slow down. And with each question, my body relaxed.

"What is your favorite rose?" Emerson asked, though he already knew the answer.

"White roses," My stutter fled.

"There's my girl," Chris cooed in my ear.

I smiled into his shoulder, my grip finally releasing on his shirt. He kissed my temple, and helped me stand.

"Lets collect some roses and go back to the others, yeah?" Chris smiled as I stood next to him. I nodded my head and held his hand and Tylers as Emerson pulled out his pocket knife to cut the rose bushes.

"You know that you're the only one who cares in that place enough to come out and visit these flowers? That's why they're growing so pretty. It is all for their queen," Emerson smiled from behind me and cut a solid red rose from behind me before handing it to Shy. She smiled and thanked him. It was the prettiest red rose from the bush. Which if you look at it metaphorically, Shy was the prettiest rose to him.

"You're the rose queen, El," Chris tightened his grip at a quick pace to get my attention before letting it relax. That caused me to laugh, and then wince at the pain.

I walked up to one of the white roses and looked at Emerson for help. He smiled before cutting the rose, and taking off the thorns before handing it to me.

"Thank you," I smiled before walking to the yellow ones, and pointing at another. The same process happened until I had a small bouquet of roses of all different colors. I had a very pretty pink one, a red one, yellow, and a few white ones from different bushes.

"Let's go back to Remi, yeah?" Chris asked me as if I were a child. I nodded my head and smelled my roses before walking back into the building, the boys and Shy following me.

I was the rose queen, and no one was going to hurt me anymore. Or so I thought...